Playful Einstein photograph goes up for auction

Signed and dated copy of the jovial 1951 image to go under the hammer on 27 July; previous copies have sold for almost $44,000

Wild haired with a bushy moustache and his tongue sticking out, the photograph revealing Albert Einstein as something of a prankster is one of the most recognisable images of the physicist. Now a signed and dated copy is about to be auctioned.

Snapped by United Press International photographer Arthur Sasse as Einstein departed in the back of car following his 72nd birthday celebrations in 1951, the image shot into the public consciousness after publishers overcame their initial qualms and printed the jovial image.